Crimes of the Past
by Lyra Verse
Summary: Michonne and Rick meet at 17 years old. Michonne isn't who she claims to be. In fact, she's a scammer out to get Rick's money, and Rick is only her mark. At least that's what she tells herself. Will Michonne go through with her schemes? Will Rick ever get over the betrayal? AU. Rick x Michonne. Rated M.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yep. Another new one. Don't worry. I promise I'm gonna keep working on my old ones that aren't finished yet. I've just found that it's better, though, to just write what I feel like writing in the moment rather than force myself to write on something because I know I need to. The urges to write on those other stories will come, and I'm just going to let it happen when it happens. If I don't, I'll just continue to think of the fics I should be working on and not being able to write rather than just writing whatever comes and letting you guys enjoy it.**

 **Chapter One**

Rick doesn't notice her at first, the girl who sidles up to the bench he's occupying and gingerly places her bag down on the ground next to it. But he becomes aware of her when she sits down and her lavender scent wafts over to him. He glances over.

A dark-skinned girl with dreadlocks pulled into a ponytail, cascading down her back. Headphones are over her ears, and a CD player is in her hands.

He glances around, as if looking for where she came from. He's not familiar with her. He hasn't seen her around. And that's a little strange to him. He's been living in the same home since he was a baby, in a suburban neighborhood in Georgia. He's at least glimpsed everyone who tends to traipse the streets or live in the neighboring homes. 'Maybe she just moved in,' he thinks, but also thinks it strange that he hasn't seen any moving vans in the past weeks.

He doesn't even realize that he must be staring until she looks over at him, meeting his eyes. His face flushes red, and he hopes that she doesn't think he's weird for being caught staring. He motions for her to slide her headphones off of her ears. She does.

"Hi," he said, holding out his hand for a handshake. "I'm Rick."

The girl takes his hand and shakes it. "Friends call me Shoney." She doesn't really smile with her introduction. Rick hopes he didn't interrupt her by introducing himself.

"Friends call you that, but is that your real name?" he asks.

He gets a small smile. "Full name's Michonne."

"That's pretty," Rick says. He can't help himself. It is a beautiful name. "Is it okay if I call you that?"

A hitch to her eyebrow strangely seems to hook something inside of Rick, pulling a stray beat from his heart – a beat he's pretty sure he might need. Surprised at his reaction to the stranger, Rick chuckles. "You plan to get to know me well enough to use my name more than once?" she asks, her voice a smooth lilt.

Rick's lips rise in a small, hopeful smile. "Well, I'd like to. You go to Washington High?"

The high school in the small, Southern town of King County, Georgia was what Rick was referring to. A widespread joke was that the high school was King County's only major attraction. Because the only reason someone would come from another town or city to visit was to watch one of their sports games.

She shakes her head before responding. "Nope." Rick's heart sinks a little. "I go to St. George's."

"The private school?" Rick's voices raises in slight surprise, and no wonder. The private school is about 40 miles away on the other side of town and only rich people and nuns go there – at least that's what the public high school population thinks. He then becomes aware of her outfit and notices that she is in a uniform. A fitted blue blazer jacket, white shirt underneath, tucked into a neat, pleated, matching blue skirt. "What are you doing down here?"

Michonne shrugs. "Skipping school."

"Why?" Rick asks.

Michonne shrugs again. "Just 'cause." Michonne unplugs her headphones from her CD player, takes them from around her neck and stashes both items into the bag at her feet. She then pulls out a pack of already opened cigarettes and a lighter. She puts the thin, white cylinder between her full lips and lights the end. Inhaling, causing the end of the stick to burn brighter. Noticing that Rick is staring, she tilts the pack towards him. "You want one?"

Rick shakes his head 'no'. He's a good kid. Everything in his world and world view is black and white. His thinking aligned with what his dad had always told him – only delinquents and losers smoked. That's what he used to think. But watching this beautiful girl that sat beside him inhale and exhale, blowing smoke gently into the air, it had never seemed so becoming.

Michonne put the pack of cigarettes into a pocket on her blazer jacket. "So you go to Washington High?" she asks.

"Yeah," Rick answers.

"You waiting for the bus?" She flicks ash onto the ground at their feet.

"Yeah," Rick says again. He vaguely wonders what his friends will think when the bus pulls up and they see him sitting next to this smoking new girl. Smoking in more ways than one.

She looks over her shoulder, towards Rick's large house, and then back at him. "You live in the suburbs," she says. "It looks like your folks are pretty well off. You don't have a car? To drive yourself to school?"

Rick searches around for an answer. He wonders if she's disappointed. He hopes not. "Uhh, it's important to my family that we work for everything we get. So...they told me if I wanted a car, I had to get a job and get one. They're not gonna buy me one."

Michonne nods. "And are you working for one?"

Still a little unsure about why she's asking, Rick realizes he's been put in a position where he feels he needs to win her approval. Suddenly recalling his friend Shane – who always teases him about his lack of play with girls – he realizes he needs to take control of the situation. He smirks. "Why?" he asks. "You wanna take a ride with me some time?"

Michonne's eyebrows rise again, and again Rick's heartbeats follow the movement. He gets another small smile. "Maybe," she says coyly.

Rick's face flushes. This is the first time a girl has ever been so direct in flirting with him. He chuckles, not sure where to go next. "I _do_ have my driver's license," he says. "And my parents left in my dad's car-"

"Great," Michonne says, before he's even done speaking. "Let's go."

"Go?" Rick asks, surprised.

"Yeah, skip school with me," Michonne says with a smile.

And it's then that Rick knows he's in trouble. That smile makes his stomach twist and flutter with excitement akin to the feeling he gets whenever he goes over the peak of a roller coaster. "And go where?" he asks.

"Anywhere," Michonne answers with her signature shrug.

"What will we do?" His verb usage gives away the fact that he's already willing to go with her.

"Anything," Michonne says with another beguiling smile.

"I have a test today," Rick says, knowing logically that he should resist this girl's crazy scheme but knowing instinctively that his resistance is futile.

"You sure do," Michonne responds. "The Michonne test. And we're about to see if you pass or fail."

The sound of an engine is heard and, looking towards the end of the street, Rick sees the bus right at the corner. He takes Michonne's hand and says, "Watch me pass with flying colors." And he begins to run with her. Michonne makes sure to snatch her bag off of the ground as they go.

Rick doesn't let go of her hand as they run. He's not even really sure of where they're running to. The only thing he's aware of is the sound of Michonne's laughter behind him. It's the first time he's hearing it, and he won't forget it any time soon. Or ever.

He finally stops when they get to a lake at the edge of town. Kids sometimes come here to make out. Rick isn't sure if Michonne knows of that fact since she isn't from this part of town. He hopes she doesn't because he doesn't want her to think he's trying to pull a fast one on her. He turns around and finds Michonne breathing heavily with her hands on her knees. He rubs her back. "Maybe you shouldn't smoke so much."

Michonne stands up and reaches in her pocket for her pack of cigarettes, in direct defiance of Rick's words. She lights her cigarette rebelliously and blows smoke off to the side. Rick smirks and shakes his head. "Here. Take your jacket off," he says.

Michonne pockets her cigarettes again and does as he says gladly. It's a hot spring day.

Rick takes her jacket and lays it beneath a large tree that will shade them from the sun. They sit and watch the rays of the sun sparkle on the surprisingly clear water of the lake. "The town got together and cleaned this lake up because kids like to dive in it and stuff," Rick said, commenting on the clear waters.

Michonne nods. "That makes sense."

Rick looks at Michonne's profile. They're sitting closer than the were on the bench. His heart beats fast in his chest, and he wonders if he is having anywhere as close to the kind of affect on her as she is having on him. It doesn't seem like it. Her aura is cool and collected, almost uncaring. That only draws Rick in more. Still feeling the adrenaline of running away from responsibilities, Rick reaches into the pocket of Michonne's blazer and gets a cigarette of his own. He puts it between his lips and then leans in to light his cigarette with Michonne's own.

Michonne's eyes stray to Rick's lips as he pulls away. "I thought you were against smoking," she says.

"I never said that," Rick replies. He inhales deeply, feels the smoke go into his lungs, and then he coughs wildly on the exhale.

Michonne laughs and takes the cigarette from between his fingers. "Give me that. I've been enough of a bad influence on you today. We won't add smoking to the list." She puts both his and her cigarette out on the ground beside them. Rick coughs a few more times, trying to contain himself. He's embarrassed, but he's not going to show it. "I was expecting to go for a drive today after you brought up your mom's car."

Rick coughs one last time and then glances at her. "I know. Sorry to get your hopes up. It's just that I can't take my parents' car without permission."

Michonne tilts her head. "Well, you could."

"What was it you just said?" Rick asks playfully. "No more being a bad influence."

Michonne smiles. "Right. Sorry."

Rick lies on his side, facing Michonne, and props his head up on his hand. Michonne mirrors him.

"So tell me about your parents," Michonne says.

Rick does. His dad is the sheriff, his mom is a dental assistant. He has a pretty perfect life, blah blah blah blah blah. Michonne is more interested in watching his lips move than really listening to the words coming out of his mouth.

"What about yours?" Rick asks.

Michonne snaps out of her trance and realizes that he's asking about her parents. "My mom is gone, and my dad is a lawyer." That's all she says. She doesn't have a long story like Rick.

"Oh, I'm sorry about your mom," Rick says.

"Don't be," Michonne replies. "She's not dead. She's just gone. She just packed her bags and left when I was about eight."

"Oh," Rick says again. "I'm sorry," he repeats. "Sorry. I don't know what else to say."

"It's okay," Michonne says.

Rick looks at Michonne's hand lightly rubbing over the jacket between them – just for something to do, he guesses – and he lightly touches it. When she stops the movement of her hand but doesn't protest, he gently places his fingers between hers, intertwining them. They lay like that for a while and then Michonne pulls away. "Stop," she says with a coy smile.

Rick reaches for her hand again. "Stop what?"

"Stop grabbing my hand." She's still smiling, so Rick knows she's being playful with him.

"Why?" he asks.

Michonne turns over onto her back, her dreads fanning out below her as she lies on the ground. "Only my boyfriend is allowed to hold my hand," she teases.

"You have a boyfriend?" Rick asks, hoping she's just messing with him.

She looks over at Rick. "What if I do?"

"Do you?" Rick asks again.

Michonne laughs, amused by Rick's interest on the subject. "I'm not gonna tell you."

"You have to," Rick says.

"No, I don't," Michonne teases again.

Rick sighs deeply, letting his frustration be known. Michonne laughs again. "Do people skinny dip at this lake?" she asks.

Rick peers at her thinking, 'she won't'. "Yeah," Rick says. "I've heard of people doing it, but I've never been around when it happened."

Michonne sits up and gives Rick that trouble-making smile again.

"Oh, come on," Rick says. "You won't tell me if you have a boyfriend, but you'll skinny dip in front of me?"

Michonne unbuttons the top button of her white shirt. "You don't want me to?"

Rick's eyes fix to Michonne's opened button and the small area of skin he sees there. "No," he says unconvincingly.

Michonne laughs and unbuttons another button. Then another. And another. She's surprising herself. Under Rick's sharp, blue eyes, she is almost eager to show him her body. She stops, her heart pounding in her chest. "Take your clothes off too," she says.

Rick's eyes move from Michonne's buttons to her face. He's almost holding his breath in anticipation of seeing her. But to get back at her for the boyfriend tease, he says, "I don't want to go skinny dipping."

Michonne frowns. "Do you want to pass the Michonne test or not?"

Rick jumps into the lake wearing only his boxer briefs. "Woohoo!" Michonne, who is already in the water wearing a simple, black bra and panty set tries to avoid the splash he creates. It's not exactly skinny dipping but close enough. Michonne decided to show Rick a little bit of mercy at the last second because he had been flushing so bad she thought he might faint from the rush of blood to his head.

The minute he jumps in the lake, Rick swims out to the middle where Michonne is. He picks her up and playfully dunks her beneath the surface. She comes back up readily and pushes his head down to dunk him as well. Laughing, they horse around for a few more minutes. Rick enjoys the way their skin feels against each other as they brush together underneath the water. He feels the length between his legs begin to grow and harden.

Michonne attempts to push his head down again, but he wraps his arms around her and swims her over to the bank of the lake and then he releases her. Michonne knows he intends to kiss her when he stares into her eyes. Her lips part, ready. Rick sees the invitation and goes for it. His lips touch hers and he has never felt a more glorious feeling. Her lips are full and soft and warmth spreads throughout his body. Her arms fall around his shoulders. The still water laps against them with each small breeze and their bodies move rhythmically and slightly in the buoyancy of the water.

Rick pushes Michonne's lips open wider so that he can get better access to her tongue. Michonne involuntarily moans as the kiss deepens. She feels Rick's hardness brushing against her beneath the calm water.

"Will I see you again?" Rick asks, pulling away from her lips for a moment.

"I don't know," Michonne said. "I have to see what my boyfriend says."

Rick huffs and Michonne laughs. She could get used to this. Making this guy frustrated. And happy. And hard.

She runs her hand down his torso until she reaches the area between his legs. She palms his dick. Rick's breath hitches.

A sudden bout of nerves comes over Rick. "I'm a virgin," he admits, blushing. "I'm waiting for marriage."

Michonne smiles. "Of course you are." She's attracted to his innocence. "I'm just gonna make you feel good..." she whispered. "If that's okay."

She slips her hand into his boxer briefs, touching his member. It's hot on her skin. A sharp intake of breath comes from Rick. No one has touched him like this before. The knowledge of that makes Michonne's center throb. "Is this okay?" she asks.

Rick nods, unable to form words.

Michonne pushes his underwear down below his hips and wraps her hand around his hard shaft. Rick's mouth falls open and his eyes close with pleasure. Michonne watches all of this closely, getting hotter and hotter between her own legs. She begins to stroke Rick's length. His body sways gently in the water with each soft tug of her hand.

He opens his eyes and they keep eye contact as she strokes him. He can see the evidence of her own arousal in her eyes. In the way that she bites her lips between her teeth.

He slips his hand beneath the surface of the water and palms her over her panties. "Mmm," she moans. She lifts her leg onto a nearby rock, giving him better access. "Touch me some more," she pleads. Rick obliges. He rubs her center of heat as she pumps her hand over his manhood.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Rick wonders about the strangeness of how events unravel. When he went to sleep last night, he had no idea he would meet this girl. When he woke up that morning and ate breakfast, he had no idea that anything other than the usual would happen to him. He thought he would be sitting in class taking a trigonometry test instead of going farther than he had ever gone with a girl out at Kingston Lake. A girl he barely knows at that.

He kisses Michonne deeply as both of them begin to speed up their pleasuring of the other. Their tongues clash and their pants fill the spring air.

He pushes his hand beneath the band of her underwear and begins to massage her directly. He wants to slip his fingers inside, but he doesn't want to risk being clumsy and embarrassing himself. He elects that he has to read up on how to do that when he gets back home.

He feels himself close to climaxing and he grits his teeth. He focuses his attentions for her on where he knows the clitoris is supposed to be. She moans. "I'm coming, Rick, I'm coming."

But before either of them can reach that climax, a voice interrupts them. "Hey! What are you kids doing there?"

Michonne and Rick stop their ministrations immediately. "Shit," Michonne whispers.

Rick looks over to see who has interrupted them and sees the source of her stress, a cop. He hurriedly pulls his underwear up over his behind. He's blushing fiercely when the cop reaches them. It's a friend of his father's, Michael Langsley.

"Rick?" Michael asks, when he's close enough to see who's messing around in the lake. He puts his hands on his hips. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"Hey, Mr. Langsley," he says, not knowing what else to say.

"And who is this?" Mr. Langsley asks.

Rick looks over to see that Michonne is avoiding looking at the policeman. "This is-"

"A friend," Michonne interrupts Rick.

"Uh-huh..." Mr. Langsley says suspiciously. "Y'all know skinny dipping is illegal, right? This is public property."

"We're not exactly skinny dipping," Rick mutters.

"Still, this ain't the beach," Langsley says. "And y'all were definitely doing more than swimming out here, which is also illegal." Rick blushes another shade of red. "What you got to say for yourself, son?"

Rick shakes his head, hating how careless he was. But he knows he needs to smooth over this situation for Michonne. "If you don't tell my dad," he says. "And let both of us off, I'll come file all of your paperwork in my free time." He knew no one at the precinct liked the tediousness of doing paperwork.

"Oh, now you're bribing a police officer," Langsley says. "I'm really surprised at you, Rick." He pauses. "But since you _are_ my best friend's son and I ain't never known you to act up before, I'ma be lenient. But I better not see y'all out here again. If I catch you again, you're both going home with fines. I'll be back in ten minutes to make sure y'all are dressed and gone. And Rick? Tomorrow afternoon, 4pm sharp."

Langsley walks away, and they both wait until he's gone before they climb out of the water. "That was embarrassing," Rick mutters.

"Yeah," Michonne says. She picks her discarded clothes off of the ground and puts them on. "Well," she says, when she's dressed. "Thanks for hanging out with me today. It's been fun." She starts to put her jacket on and Rick stops her.

"Wait. Can I have your number? I want to see you again," he says.

Michonne smirks. "You give me yours and _I'll_ call _you_."

Rick huffs – causing Michonne to smile – but he pulls a pen out of his pocket and writes his number on the palm of her hand. Michonne looks at the number. "I can't read that."

"It's 912-" Rick starts hurriedly.

"I'm just kidding," Michonne said. "I can read it." Exasperated, Rick huffs again. "Bye~" Michonne sings before picking up her bag and running off.

Rick shakes his head as he watches her go, hoping that she's being truthful when she says she will call him.

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Michonne doesn't notice the police car following her to the bus stop. She arrives just as the bus arrives on the corner, and she steps on, paying the bus driver.

Langsley watches her through the windshield of his police cruiser. He watches the sway of her bottom in her short skirt as she bounces up the stairs of the bus.

The memory of her coming out of the water, her supple and tight body on display, plays in his mind. Unbeknownst to the two teenagers, he had stuck around just to see the body that Rick Grimes had had access to. He touches himself at the memory, not surprised to find that he's grown hard in his pants.

He keeps the picture of her face in his mind. So he can look her up later. And find out who she is. And where he can find her.

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Michonne's mood starts to get lower and lower as she gets closer to the neighborhood she's staying in. Men sell drugs on the corner. Prostitutes roam the streets. It's far from the well-off neighborhood she's sure Rick imagined her in when she said she went to St. George's. It's true that she _had_ attended St. George's. But that was in the past. She dropped out because she had no way to continue paying to go there. Her father wouldn't support her anymore. He had kicked her out when he caught her in his home, losing her virginity to a boy he didn't approve of.

When she gets off the bus at her stop, she is greeted immediately with said boy. "Hey," she says.

"Hey." He leans down and kisses her on the lips. Unbidden, she thinks about Rick. "How'd it go?"

"It was easier than I thought," she says. "I'm sure I can get all the information we need in no time."

"Good girl." He pulls her close and kisses her again. Stepping back, he looks her in the eyes. "You didn't go farther than you needed to, did you?"

Michonne immediately knows what he's asking. The images of her and Rick getting frisky in the lake come to her mind. "No, Mike," she lies. "I'm not a whore." Guilt drops in her stomach like a stone as she wonders if that's exactly what she is. Maybe she's been living in this environment too long. Maybe she was becoming just like the women she passed on the street corner. Rick was just supposed to be a mark. A rich boy they would steal from. There was no reason why she needed to put her hand in his pants or let him in hers. She wonders why she acted like that.

"Good," Mike said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and walking to where they stayed with some other friends. "Because you're mine."

 **A/N: If you love me, sign up to P atreon, search Duokomics, and donate. And check out my webcomic at .com**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. Work has kept me busy.**

Chapter Two

Rick lies in his bedroom, staring at the ceiling. Two days have passed since he skipped school with Michonne, and she has yet to call him. Rick is starting to think she's not going to. And he hates the thought.

It didn't take his parents long to find out that he had skipped school. It was a small town, and his family was a prominent one. And he had had perfect attendance until that day. So when he skipped, some of his friends called, asking if he was okay, and his father had answered one of the calls. And he was currently grounded for a week.

He didn't mind. It gave him more time to just reminisce about the day at the lake.

'Why doesn't she call me?' he wonders for the thousandth time.

He hears muffled voices downstairs, but he doesn't pay much attention until his best friend Shane, a handsome boy with a shock of thick, black hair, and an outgoing demeanor bursts into his bedroom. "Hey, man!" he says. "Heard you're grounded."

Rick sits up, hit with the mixed emotions of being disappointed that he's been interrupted from thinking about Michonne and the day at the lake and excitement at seeing his friend. "Hey," he says. "They let you up?"

"Yeah, but only for a few minutes." He holds up a book and papers in his hands. "I brought you notes from class, but more importantly," he looks over his shoulder and closes Rick's bedroom door behind himself. Slipping a piece of paper out of the book he says, "I brought you the answers to the test."

"How did you get these?" Rick asks, taking the paper. He had almost forgotten tomorrow was when he was scheduled to take the makeup test he had missed.

"Easy." Shane made a crude movement with his tongue.

Rick chuckles. "Stop lying."

Shane takes a seat on Rick's bed and lies back, making himself at home. "I'm not lying. You know I got a way with older women."

Rick shook his head. Shane was always bragging about exploits with women and girls just to swell his status at school. He honestly no longer knew when he was lying, and when he was not. He always assumed he was lying. "Well, I'm sorry you did that," Rick says. "Because I don't need it." He tossed the paper atop his bedsheet. "I'm prepared for the test."

"You are?" Shane asks. "Then why'd you skip that day? And don't use the 'not feeling well' excuse on me again. I know when you're lying."

Shaking his head, Rick plays with the confession on the tip of his tongue. He had told people he missed school because he hadn't been feeling well because a lie was easier and more believable than what really happened. How could he explain meeting Michonne and all the things he had felt and done that day? But he was definitely dying to tell someone. Especially his best friend.

"I met a girl," Rick confesses.

"I knew it!" Shane says, sitting up with interest. "I knew something big had to happen to get you to mess up your perfect record!" His playful swat to Rick's chest makes him chuckle. "Who is she?"

"Her name's Michonne," Rick says, the words falling from his lips quickly as the excitement he's been keeping at bay threatens to bubble over.

"Michonne?" Shane's voice is questioning. "Never heard of her. Is she a foreign exchange student?"

"No," Rick answers. "She said she goes to St. George's."

Shane sits up quickly and stares at Rick with a smirk. "You got you a St. George chick?" he asks. Rick laughs at Shane's reaction. "Oh-ho! Look at you!" Shane continues. "I was wondering why you weren't dating anybody with all those girls that's after you all the time. I see you were just waiting for a fish from a bigger pond. Plus she's a private school girl? Private school girls are some freaks, man! All that repression. Congratulations! Hey, find out if she has any friends for me."

Rick held up his hands to slow Shane's tirade. "I don't _have_ anything," Rick says, smiling regardless of his denials. "She's not mine."

"You mean you didn't lock her down?" Shane asks.

Rick shrugs. "I, um...I mean, we made out."

"Yes!" Rick laughs at Shane's overreaction again. "Yes!" Shane yells again. "That's good, man! I was starting to think maybe you swung the other way since you never really showed any interest...Did you get her number?"

"She got mine," Rick says. "She's supposed to call me."

The proud smile falls off of Shane's face. "Oh no, man."

"What?" Rick asks.

"She rejected you." Shane states.

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Music blares as Michonne sits inside of a small bedroom in front of a computer screen. The room consists of a single, unmade bed, a nightstand, the desk she's sitting at, and a small 24 inch television that sits atop a worn entertainment center littered with video games.

The window right in front of her desk offers her some solace otherwise she feels she might go crazy.

She scratches the frustrated wrinkle from her brow and throws on a pair of headphones, trying to block out the noise of the party that seems to never stop. She scrolls through downloaded music on her computer until she comes to TLC and starts to play "Creep". She doesn't hear when Mike comes in the bedroom and closes the door behind himself.

It's not until he comes up behind her and touches her shoulder – causing her to jump halfway out of her skin – that she realizes that someone else has entered the room.

"Oh God, you scared me," she says when she sees that it's only Mike. Taking off her headphones, she allows Mike to kiss her neck in greeting.

"Why aren't you downstairs?" Mike asks lazily. "Getting your party on. You deserve it."

"The novelty of parties has kind of worn off for me," Michonne says, swiveling around in her seat so that she can face Mike. She holds his hands as he stands upright, swaying slightly. She sighs. He's drunk. Or high. Or both.

"The novel- What's that mean?" Mike asks, smiling lopsidedly at her, his eyes red. "That mean you tired of 'em?"

"Yeah, that's what I mean, Mike," Michonne says. She stands up and slowly walks Mike over to the bed so he won't fall down. As he sits, she allows him to pull her down next to him. She allows him to kiss her lips.

She knows why Mike enjoys the parties. She understands the freedom and the headiness that comes with it. Mike was emancipated from his parents, a strict pair of abusive assholes, at the age of sixteen and he had been celebrating ever since. This was his apartment. He made money working on cars down at his older cousin's auto shop. And Michonne is grateful to him for giving her a place to stay. She doesn't know what she would have done without him.

He kisses her more deeply and leads her to lying back on the bed. Before he can begin to lift her shirt, she stops his hand and turns away from his kisses. When he gives her a questioning look through his haze of drunkeness, she speaks softly to him. "You know I won't do anything with you when you're like this."

A lopsided grin comes over his face. "Oh, come on," he groans, letting his head drop and then rising back up to look into her eyes. "You're killing me, woman."

"Well, next time come to me when you're sober," Michonne says, not giving in. She smiles gently to ease the rejection.

Mike's hand comes up to stroke Michonne's face, his eyes scanning her features. "I don't know how I got lucky enough to have you," he confesses. "But I'm not letting you go. You're a good woman, Michonne. A queen. I'm gonna make you my wife."

Michonne smiles indulgently at his slurred proclamation.

But his words only make her think about her future. He lies down beside her and places his face in the crook of her neck. His body crushes her slightly as he lies somewhat atop her. It doesn't take long for his breathing to become slow and steady and she knows he's falling asleep. She lies there, staring up at the ceiling and listens to the noises below. This isn't what she wants for her life in the next few months, much less the next few years or the rest of her life.

She wonders if this is all Mike can offer. Or if he will change and become more mature.

The study guide of an upcoming GED test blinks on Michonne's computer screen.

Glancing over, she wonders how long she should wait before she tries to extricate herself. She doesn't want to wake him. He'll only wake up horny again and she'll have to, once again, put him off since the alcohol makes him forgetful.

After a few more minutes, she finally attempts to slide away from him. He grunts and mumbles in his sleep, but that's the extent of it. Once she's up, Michonne goes over to a chair in the corner with a blanket in it, takes the blanket, and places it over Mike's sleeping form. "Good night," she whispers.

She walks back over to the desk and is about to sit down, but her eyes land on her cell phone. She picks it up and scrolls through her new additions until she sees 'Rick'. After a moment of thought, she leaves the room to find a private corner.

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Shane is gone, but Rick can't get his words out of his mind. ' _Did_ she reject me?' he wonders. 'Is she never going to call?'

His thoughts are cut short by the ringing of his cell phone.

His heart immediately jumps into his throat and he answers before the first ring even finishes, glad that he managed to make his parents believe that he had lost his cell phone so they couldn't take it away from him as punishment. "Hello?" he answers quietly, praying it's Michonne.

"Were you waiting for me to call?" A low, sultry voice responds in answer to his prayer. It's her.

Rick pumps his fist silently, glad that Michonne can't see him with her large, observant eyes. He gives himself the count of three to calm himself down. "No," he lies, playing it cool. As Shane instructed him to do if she were to call.

Michonne chuckles on the other end of the line. There goes his heart again, reacting strangely in Michonne's presence. 'This really can't be healthy,' he thinks. "Okay," she says.

He hears music in the background. "Where are you?" he asks. "It sounds like you're at a party."

"I am," she responds, her voice low like his. An indication that she is also trying not to be heard. "But I'm ready for it to be over. I'm in the hallway closet right now."

"Oh no," Rick laughs. "That bad?" But he's secretly delighted. If she's calling because the party isn't good, he hopes it stays unsatisfactory. "Are you comfortable at least?"

"Yeah," she responds. "It's kind of roomy and carpeted. So I'm sitting on the floor."

"Cool," he says. A silence comes. He panics slightly and searches for a topic of conversation so that she will stay on the phone with him. But he's saved when she starts talking first.

"Are you really waiting for marriage before you have sex?" she asks.

"Yeah," Rick answers.

"And all your girlfriends so far have been okay with that?"

"I haven't had any girlfriends."

"What? You're lying."

Rick chuckles. "I'm not."

"Rick, guys like you don't exist."

"They do. You're talking to a guy like me."

Michonne laughs. "Well...why are you waiting until marriage? Is it a religion thing?"

"Well...not really. I just want my wife to be my first. And only. And it's important to my parents too."

"I see." There is a pause. "Do you watch porn?"

Rick laughs, entertained by the line of questioning. "I've only seen porn once because my friend snuck it out for us. I haven't watched any since. Didn't particularly like it."

"Oh my God," Michonne laughs. "I can't believe this. You're really like an alien."

Rick doesn't respond, unsure how to take her statement.

Finally, correctly reading his silence, she states, "I like it though."

Rick smiles. Then curiosity gets the better of him as well. "So you're sexually active?"

A laugh comes across the line. "Sexually active..." She repeats, finding amusement in his words. "Yeah, I am," she finally states. "I have sex all the time."

"...Even now?" Rick asks.

"Yeah, even now." Michonne reponds.

Rick sits up on his bed. He's unsure how to place what he's feeling, but he's definitely feeling something. Disappointment? Sadness? Jealousy? He wonders if that makes him a bad person.

"With my boyfriend," Michonne continues. In her closet on her side of town, Michonne fiddles with the leg of her pajama pants. She's nervous, wondering what he's thinking and how he will react. She's surprised at these emotions, but she can't stop them.

She also doesn't know why she's telling him that she has a boyfriend. She knows she shouldn't. Maybe it's her way of giving him an out. His one chance to escape. 'Get out while you still can.'

"You really have a boyfriend?" Rick asks, his voice sounds distant.

"I really have a boyfriend, Rick," Michonne responds. All of the laughter is gone. She's now completely serious with nerves roiling in her stomach.

"...Do you love him?" Rick is in his bedroom wondering why she did the things she did with him if she has a boyfriend, why she called him tonight, why he feels so hurt and confused when he only met Michonne a couple of days ago. Why, why, why.

There is no answer on the other end of the line. Rick waits.

"...I don't know..." Michonne finally says.

Relief. That's the only emotion that sweeps over Rick with her response. And then he is ashamed. He's relieved because her answer indicates that there's uncertainty in her relationship and he has a chance. And he's ashamed because he still wants that chance. He always thought he was a guy that honored boundaries, a guy that knew not to step into another couple's relationship, but that was before he met Michonne. "Oh," he says. "Okay."

"So..." Michonne starts.

"So..." Rick lies back on his bed. "All the time, huh?"

Michonne smiles. A mixture of happiness and sadness. He wants to continue. "Yeah," she says. "I mean...of course I have to take smoke breaks."

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Rick goes through the school day the next day looking at the clock. He ends up taking the test in a daze and not really knowing or caring how he did. His mind is only on the afternoon. When the school bell rings and he will be dismissed from the premises. It's not the normal kind of anxious that every kid feels for the school day to end; it's the kind of anxious that a man has when he awaits meeting up with a special woman at the end of the day.

Rick fixes his wavy, pushed-back hair in the bathroom mirror, makes sure his outfit and cowboy boots are pristine, and then he walks out. Surprised to be greeted by Lori and Jessie standing next to the door. He draws up short.

Lori and Jessie are two of the cheerleaders at school, and they're best friends. Jessie is more outgoing and Lori is more bookish and reserved, but they're both pretty popular amongst their peers.

"Hey, Rick" Jessie says, chewing gum. She hides something behind her back.

"Hey..." Rick says, wondering what this is about. He walks to his locker as they follow beside him. "What's going on?"

"You know the spring formal is coming up..."

'Ah, right,' Rick remembers. 'The dance.' The school dance this year is going to be red carpet themed – very original – and he knew about this a while ago, but he had put it to the back of his mind. Since he hadn't really been planning on going. He had been planning on driving up to visit his grandparents that weekend instead. But now that he's grounded, he doesn't know if his parents will let him take the car. They probably won't let him go to the dance either.

"Lori and I played rock, paper, scissors to see who would get to ask you out, and I won," Jessie continues.

"You played rock, paper, scissors over me?" Rick asks, flashing them a warm smile. "I'm flattered." He takes the invitation Jessie hands to him and says, "I'll think about it, okay?" before walking away.

He's used to Jessie and Lori. They've been friends and classmates since kindergarten.

He's not surprised when Shane appears next to his side as he walks to his next class. "You don't even know what you're doing, do you? You're just a daggone natural."

"What do you mean?" Rick asks.

"Oh come on. Hitting 'em with those blue eyes and perfect grin. You know those girls are falling all over you. You got the pick of the litter."

Rick chuckles and rolls his eyes. He doesn't really take Lori and Jessie seriously. He knows how they are. They flirt and socialize with everyone. It's why they're so popular and well-liked. It's just a tactic. That most of the guys, girls, and even teachers fall for. Those girls can get anything they want. "What's wrong, Shane?" he asks. "No invites yet?"

Shane gives him an incredulous look as if to say his question is silly. "I already have 10. Just not the one I'm waiting for."

"Who are you waiting for?"

"Mrs. Niedermeyer."

Rick rolls his eyes. "Okay, don't tell me."

"You gonna go with Jessie?" Shane asks as they reach Rick's classroom.

Rick looks down at the official invite – only one of a thousand that the Student Council made. He's supposed to slide a flower or something into the inside pocket and put it in her locker if his answer is yes. "I don't know," Rick says. "I don't know if my parents will let me go."

Shane nods. "What about that Michonne chick? Did she ever get back to you?"

Rick smiles. "Yeah," he says.

Shane celebrates by punching Rick playfully on the shoulder and stomach. "I told you, man."

"You _told_ me I was rejected," Rick corrects.

"Ahh~!" Shane waves that away.

The bell rings. "Look," Rick says. "I'll tell you about it later. Go to class."

"Okay," Shane says. "See ya."

"See ya."

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Rick steps out of his car and puts a piece of mint gum into his mouth. Just in case.

He and Michonne agreed to meet downtown today after school. Maybe do a little shopping. He smiles when he sees her step around the corner. She's not dressed in a uniform today. She's dressed in a white crop top and high-rise black pants that cinch around her small middle, only allowing a sliver of skin to be shown at her midriff. Her dreads are pulled back into a half-up style. She's beautiful.

Rick walks toward her briskly, a large smile on his face. "Hey."

"Hey," she says. "How was school today?" When he draws near she notices that she is a few inches taller, due to her heels, and she doesn't have to tilt her head back as far to see into his eyes.

"Okay," Rick said with a shrug. "There's a school dance coming up, and I don't know if I'll be able to go today."

"School dance," Michonne repeats. "That's fun."

The thought comes to him as he looks down at her. "Would you maybe want to come?" he asks impulsively.

"With you?"

"No, with my friend, Shane," Rick responds sarcastically.

Michonne smiles. "What's he look like?"

Rick shoves her shoulder gently and playfully.

They haven't moved from the spot where they met. Michonne is leaning against the brick building behind her – the post office – and Rick is standing over her, subconsciously drawing nearer and nearer to her with every breath.

"How about it?" Rick asks, barely an inch from her.

Michonne can smell his scent. He put on cologne today. "Maybe," Michonne responds. "Let me think about it."

Slight disappointment settles in Rick's gut that it's not an absolute yes. She stands upright and places her hand on Rick's stomach. She feels his abs underneath his shirt. Not anything too pronounced but definitely there. She breathes deeply and pushes him back gently. "So where do you wanna go?" she asks.

They end up getting ice cream cones and sitting down on a bench in the park. Right in front of a large fountain. It's pretty deserted except for an older couple sitting a few feet away, talking.

Rick finishes his chocolate ice cream cone first and watches as Michonne finishes her strawberry.

"It's very intimidating just having those blue eyes staring at me," Michonne finally says as she finishes her last bite.

"Sorry," Rick says, his head propped up on his fist and his elbow resting on the back of the bench so that he's facing Michonne. "I was just thinking."

"Thinking about what?" Michonne asks.

"What it would be like to kiss you while the flavor of strawberry is still on your tongue," Rick says softly, intimately.

Michonne feels a familiar stirring low in her stomach. "Find out," she whispers, wondering why he hasn't already.

Rick moves along the bench, closer to Michonne. She moves closer as well until they're sitting hip to hip in the middle. Rick places his hand on Michonne's abdomen, underneath her cropped shirt. The tips of his fingers brush skin. Michonne breathes deeply, anticipating his next move. He begins to move in slowly, and she closes her eyes. His thumb begins to draw circles on her stomach, his nose touches her. Michonne stretches closer for his lips, but she doesn't feel them. Instead she hears him speak, feeling his breath on her lips. "Do you want to kiss me?" he asks.

"Yes," Michonne breathes.

Rick takes a deep breath and Michonne tilts her chin for his lips, again expecting a touch that never comes. "We can't do that," Rick whispers. "As long as you have a boyfriend."

Michonne slowly opens her eyes, realizing he's not going to give her what she wants. A small chuckle of surprise lifts her lips into a smile. "Really?" she says.

Rick backs away and looks at her seriously. "Really."

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As the sun begins to set, Michonne forces herself into the front seat of Rick's car with the large teddy bear he bought for her. It squishes her as she sits with it on her lap, and he can barely see her.

"You should put that in the backseat," Rick says, happy she likes it but not liking the thought of her getting smothered by it. "I don't think the seatbelt will fit around it."

Michonne sees reason in that and with much difficulty, places it into the back seat. "You didn't have to get me that," Michonne says. "You already bought me the ice cream and dinner."

"I know," Rick says. "But now, whenever you hug it, you can think about me."

Michonne laughs. "You're so cheesy."

Rick smiles.

"Hey," Michonne says after a moment. "If I don't go to the dance with you, who will you go with?"

"Umm...I don't know," Rick says. "There's this girl named Jessie who asked me." He looks over to see if Michonne reacts in any way. She doesn't. Not outwardly.

"Jessie..." Michonne says. She kind of hisses the 's'es. She scrunches her nose up, finally showing a reaction to what she thinks. "Sounds like your type."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rick asks.

"You know," Michonne says. "The cowboy boots and plaid...a girl named Jessie will eat that shit up. It's a farm wife name."

Rick laughs. "A farm wife name? You do realize I don't live on a farm, right?"

Michonne shrugs.

"Well, she's not my type," Rick says after a minute of silence. "Michonne is my type."

He looks over again to see a smile growing on her face. She doesn't say anything, but the smile is all he needs.

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Rick parks outside of an expansive home with a vast lawn and a gate to keep intruders out. It's exactly what he would expect the home of someone who went to St. George would like. It almost rivaled his grandparents' home. Almost.

He gets out of his car and walks around to Michonne's side. She's already stepping out.

"You're supposed to wait so I can open the door for you," Rick says.

"Why?" Michonne asks playfully. "I have arms that work."

Rick smiles as Michonne pulls her large bear from the back seat and closes the door. She temporarily sits it on the hood and stands in front of Rick. "Thank you for the good time today," she says. "And thank you for the bear."

Rick nods. "Do you think you wanna meet up again some time?" he asks, appearing calm but feeling nervous.

But the nerves fly away when Michonne nods. A smile lifts one side of her lips coyly and she steps forward. "You sure you don't want a good night kiss?" she asks. She steps closer still, takes his hand, lets her chest brush his and looks up.

Rick clasps her hand, not wanting to let her go but resolved in his decision. "Not while he have a boyfriend," he says.

Michonne steps closer still, pressing her chest against his until there is no room between them. She slides her arm around his waist. "Not even a little one?"

Rick's eyes drop from her doe eyes to her lips, tempted. He sways forward unconsciously, drawn to her. "No," he whispers, the answer taking all of his strength.

Michonne's eyes dilate, responding to Rick's slow and heavy breathing. To the bulge that presses against her pelvis. "Just a cheek kiss?" she asks, her voice a whisper.

Rick swallows. He should deny her. But he can't. That would be denying himself. A cheek kiss isn't breaking the rules. "Okay," he acquieses.

As the dusk begins to settle, Michonne leans forward and presses a soft kiss against Rick's cheek. He exhales, his breath shaky. Images of pushing her against the car and kissing her hard come to his mind. Lifting her legs and putting them around his waist. Grinding against her.

He places his arm on her back, pulling her closer. Against him. Against his chest. Against his hardness.

Michonne places another kiss on his cheek. And another. And another. Until she works her way down to his neck and starts to tongue him there. His eyes close and he sighs. "Michonne..." He whispers. "What are you doing to me?"

Michonne nips her teeth gently against his neck. "I'll go to the dance with you..." Michonne whispers.

Rick's heart pounds in his chest. He isn't sure he heard her over the pounding. "Hmm?"

"I'll go to the dance with you," she says again.

Rick breathes heavily. He wants to kiss her. He wants to discard all of his values and officially make them one right there. His manhood scrapes against his jeans for attention. He slides his hand down her back and presses her pelvis a little closer. Holding her against his hardness. She remains still for him, letting him do as he will. His fingers brush the tops of her hips but he doesn't grab her. He needs to show restraint.

Michonne doesn't hold that same belief. She slides her hand down his arm until she reaches his hand. She moves it down to her ass.

He just his palm lie against her supple mound for a moment.

"Rick~" Michonne moans softly.

That's all it takes. Rick gives her ass a squeeze, pulling her against him tighter – almost cutting her breath short. But she doesn't mind. She nips and tongues his neck, sure that she's going to leave a hickey. Rick brushes her hair aside with his free hand and begins to do the same to her.

His leg has shifted between hers. His hips have started to move against her pelvis, his member aching to break free of his jeans and enter the target of Rick's arousal. He grips her hips with both hands now, grinding her against his clothed manhood. Creating friction for his starved sex.

Michonne moans and bites Rick's neck harder. She has never quite felt passion like this. She can definitely say she's never dry humped in a driveway. But all sense and reason is abandoning her. All she knows is that her body wants his in whatever way she can have it. She stands up onto her toes and Rick lifts her easily. Her legs go around his waist and he takes her over to the car and presses her back against the passenger side door, bringing his fantasy to life.

With the car creating leverage for them, Rick begins to grind against her in earnest. In the back of his mind somewhere, he's musing at how wild and ridiculous he must look. He can wonder what got into him later. But for now, the mounting pleasure of this mock sexual act is bringing him to the brink of climax. He can feel her heat emanating through her pants, beckoning his manhood to shed their barriers.

He pulls back to look into Michonne's eyes as they gyrate together without shame.

Michonne watches as a vein appears more and more prominent in Rick's forehead. "Oh God," she moans. "Fuck." She feels herself about to come. "Rick~!"

That's it. Rick starts to come apart. His muscles seize as he begins to spill his seed inside of his pants. Watching the pleasure wash across his face, Michonne's own climax follows soon after. "Oh my God."

She grips his shoulders and breathes heavily as she ruins her panties.

When she comes down from her high, she feels weak. She allows her legs to fall from around Rick's waist and reach the ground but she can't stand on her own. So she's grateful that Rick's body is still there keeping her up.

Rick's hair has become messy and he's breathing heavily. "We shouldn't have done that," he says. "You have-"

"I have a boyfriend, I know," Michonne says.

Rick lays his hand against Michonne's cheek and turns her to look at him. "Will you break up with him?" he asks.

Michonne turns away from him. Having regained some of the strength in her legs, she extricates herself from between him and the car. "I'll think about it," she says. "But in the meantime," she grabs the large teddy off of the hood of the car. "You should go. Before my dad sees us and comes out to shoot you."

"Yeah," Rick says. "I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay."

Michonne watches him leave and sighs. "You have got to get this under control," she mutters.

She turns to her father's house. For a moment, she thinks about going up and knocking on the door. She thinks maybe it'll be okay if she goes home. But then she shakes her head, knowing that's not possible, and walks down the street towards the nearest bus station.

 **A/N: Donate to my P atreon if you'd like to support my webcomic and my writing.**

 **So...Rick is sexually repressed. Michonne is kind of into it. Mike is just a mess. That's pretty much a summation of this chapter. Lol.**

 **From the reviews of chapter one, I know some of you are afraid that Michonne will be sexually assaulted. I can go ahead and spoil that she will not be sexually assaulted by the cop. Though there will probably be an attempt.**

 **I can also spoil why Rick is the target of a scam. I sort of hinted at it in this chapter. His grandparents are rich. I haven't told their background yet, but his grandfather is rich - he was a senator and real estate investor, a millionaire. And he has died. He has left some money to Rick and his family, but Rick is not able to access it until he is 18. The grandmother is still alive and is a widower.**


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